Tales of Youth
by ReadandEnjoy
Summary: This is an Original story that tells the tale of how two characters of mine in a popular RP I've been a part of met and how their lives became intertwined. This work and all related works ar the property of those who have developed them. Read and Enjoy!
1. Chapter 1

Chapter One: A Rainy Day

Kalen was a regular girl until she turned ten years old. Her father and mother were fighting on her birthday so she rushed out of the house to get away from it, they had been fighting a lot lately, and while she was out it began to rain. Instantly she began to cry as the emotions hit her along with the cold drops. How had it come to this? Years ago her parents had always been so happy and carefree. She remembered her father carrying her on her shoulders and laughing with her as they headed as a family to the hills outside of town for a nice picnic. Those were always her favorite times. But now they were gone and she was wet.

She found herself suddenly dryer as a shadow stood next to her. It was a young boy, about twelve years old, standing over her with an umbrella looking at her with a kind face and blue eyes that she'd never forget. From that day on she didn't cry alone anymore, he'd just be there any time she was sad he'd be there to either cheer her up or lend her a shoulder to cry on. But as close as they became, even to the point where she always stole the jackets he would wear for the fun of it there was one rule he had. No matter where he was he always had a ring with a blue stone on it. When they had hung out a bit she had asked him about it and he said it was a very special ring that very few beings had in the whole world. He also told her the one rule she could never break between them, "You must never put this ring on, Kalen, no matter what, never…"

Well she was human and she was curious. They hung out for a few years and eventually they found themselves resting on a hill just outside of her home town and had a picnic together. Desmond had removed his ring, a rare occasion, when they had been trying to catch crawdads in the nearby river earlier and he never put it back on. Kalen sat there after a few hours as Desmond laid back and fell asleep, she just stared at the teenage boy who was a few years older than her for several minutes, feelings she couldn't place welling up inside but as she thought about then her eyes strayed to the strangely enchanting ring on the picnic blanket next to him. She slowly reached out and the sleeping boy stirred but did not wake. She flinched but after a moment she grasped the ring and laid back next to him, she starred at the sky through the ring and after a few moments she slowly began to inch her finger towards it. It took entirely too long for her to even get near putting it on but she had stopped several times, his words hung in her mind like a plague.

But the ring was so big there was no way she could wear it but she could see how it would look on her finger without really actually wearing it. She didn't know why but she really wanted to see what it would look like on her. She knew a few guys kind of like Desmond in her school who were so mature and also had rings of their own. But they all had given their rings to their girlfriends as a sign of their relationships. She really wanted to know what that ring would look like on her finger damn it! After a second she held the ring steady and slid her finger through the hole that was far too large for her slender fingers. She looked up at the ring with her finger slid through it and the back drop of the sky beyond. It looked nice.

She felt like she stared at it for hours but it might have been a few moments at most. Her grip on the ring relaxed and slowly her finger drifted, she felt the cold of the ring touch her skin as she brushed against it. Then everything changed…

She couldn't believe her eyes, but the ring was not only bright and shiny, it was bright and glowing! It took her breathe away as the stone shined more brilliantly than the sunlight beyond her outstretched fingers. She was so taken with it she didn't even realize that the cold feeling of the ring on her finger was no longer just on one point of her skin but now had encompassed her whole finger.

Desmond, however, did realize, as he shot bolt upright suddenly, his eyes wide with shock, "Kalen, what did you…?"

"I'm sorry I just!" she replied as she tried to pull the ring off but it wouldn't budge, "wait, its stuck!" she was so shocked, how could it be stuck? It was definitely bigger than her finger a moment ago! What was this, and that light, the whole sky seemed dark by comparison, no… not comparison… it was dark! The sky had gone from cloudless to pitch black in a matter of seconds!

Desmond was shouting something and tracing something else in the dirt next to her, he grabbed her hand, her heart beating in her ears from both his touch and the excitement around them. He pulled her hand into the center of the traced circle he had drawn in the grass and dirt, but she would later learn it was too little too late. The ring burst with light as a pillar of power shot into the sky, the entire hillside was engulfed in blue light as a lance of energy pierced the sky. Soon the whole town was engulfed. She heard a myriad of voices in her mind and saw a great door open before her. But before he mind could let her body walk through the door a familiar hand grabbed her shoulder and pulled her back.

She awoke to the stillness of the night. No, not the night, it was still midday but the clouds above remained, and the lights from the ton were gone. A drop of rain fell onto her cheek, making her sit up to see Desmond holding onto her hand and breathing heavy, his ring was off her finger at last but as she glanced past him at her home town she came to a sight she couldn't believe. Her town was gone…

Chapter One, End…

Chapter Two: The Setting Sun

Hydra. A shining gem in the crown of the vast empire of the Hirules. Their people had spread to countless worlds in the millennia since the first Higherarch had learned the powers of the Grand Gate that stood in the side of a great mountain. The Pillar of Heaven they called it, a massive outcropping that rose thousands of feet into the air. And that wasn't the most beautiful part of the landscape, the mountain range encircled the area where the gate stood majestic and grand as a natural portal and the funnel of winds carry the clouds high. A pillar of white cumulous always extends form the top of the mountain into the reaches above constantly swirling and drifting in a beautiful lance of white and silver that climbs high beyond where the eye can see.

That was the view that greeted the young prince every morning as he looked through the windows of the opulent palace where he was born. The Emerald City… that was the capitol of the whole empire, the green tile roofs of the buildings and the tall spires that dot the landscape. The palace complex was at the southern edge of the city, on the sea that bordered it. His window was on the side of the west wing and he could look to his left and watch the gently lapping of the water against the shore or to his right and watch the clouds swirl in the distance.

It was a strange feeling to see that for the young prince, only 27 years old a child in this world and only twelve in human years, to see those two sights; The docks and the sea, the Hirules all around, and the clouds and Pillar of Heaven where the Gate was waiting. In these he saw it all, the whole world, the whole of his existence. The sea was hydra, and his past, the Gate was Earth, and his future.

"Desmond…" a gentle voice came to him from the doorway, causing the young boy to turn to his mother. She was a beautiful woman with long dark hair and gentle kind eyes. Her face was so calm and collected. Today was the day, and he knew it. He nodded to her and walked over to her side. Together they left the palace.

It took a few hours for the convoy to reach the foot of the Gate, a great stair that lead up to the cavern in the mountain. Unlike the rest of the worlds where the Gate was manufactured of stone to be powered by natural forces the Gate on Hydra was completely natural, having existed since the world began, a place where the whole of the realms came together, a place of near infinite power and yet it was so plain. The Hirules had built a large city at the foot of that Gate and a complex for both military and public works at the mouth of the Gate itself. It was encased in a wall of heavy stone inscribed with magic's that would make the ancient powers of Earth seem young. It was a fortress and a tunnel, a travel station and a barrack, a road to build or a warpath to destroy. This was the place where Desmond would say goodbye to his beloved Hydra and head to a strange new world. That was his duty as the first prince of the realm.

As much as he might try to hide it his voice in his head came out his mouth as he gazed at the wall, "I hate this place…" he said aloud. His face changed suddenly as he realized what he had said out loud and look to his mother expecting to be scolded.

But she just smiled and turned to her own window, "I know what you mean, such a thing of beauty as the Gate and this whole world shouldn't have to play host to such a military force. But it's necessary they say…" she shrugged.

"For self-defense I know, but if the others from the worlds we inhabit knew about this force don't you think they'd get the wrong idea?" he said in discussion with his mother. She couldn't help but smile as she felt the proud from her brilliant son. Hydra was full of brilliant minds, but Desmond's stood out even among the Ruler family and the other nobles, it was a source of pride for her and her husband.

"Yes that's true, but that's why we are sending you… because you understand enough to go and bring back our people trapped on Earth."

The rest of the ride was silent, Desmond was anxious of this journey and he couldn't bring himself to speak with his mother any further on it. His right hand tightened, the feeling of his naked ring finger was a memorable one, he had never gone through the ritual to get a ring of his own when he was younger like most Hirule did as he was to be given a family ring of great power. That was his duty.

Next thing he knew they were inside the wall and walking calmly through the grand halls of the great building that stretched to the foot of the Gate. The Hirules called that place the Crossroad. It was here that the royal procession awaited them, his mother and Desmond. And standing at the end of the long line of silver and gold knights in their shining armor stood his father, a king of the Hirules in all his glory. How Desmond hated it. His father was a kind and gentle man at heart, but he always had to have this grand persona whenever they were out in public. When he looked like this that man stopped being his father and instead became the Emperor, a man whose face and heart was stone like the walls that he had ordered built around the gate. Desmond still remembered his older brother arguing with his father over the building of a military complex around the gate but his father had done it regardless and turned this sacred place of promise into a place of fear.

Of course he knew why his father did what he did, he had to protect Hydra, the Gate was not just a one way trip for everyone, it was a portal for all. And that was what his father feared. The walls had been built and the army assembled, and now his father surrounded himself with knights instead of with scholars. It was all very sad, and Desmond hated it. Yet he was brought out of this thought by his father.

"Desmond Alexander Ruler." His father called. Desmond stepped forward. "You are charged with going to Earth and bringing our people home after eleven hundred years of exile…. Do you accept this responsibility?" in his left hand his father held a large silver ring with a bright blue stone. Desmond knew what it was for and immediately his eyes were drawn to it.

"I do hereby accept the responsibility you ask of me." He said as he had been told. His father smiled a smile that made him remember of the man who he had been when he was younger. Desmond raised his right hand and his father slid the ring onto his finger. The ring tightened to its new owner and his mind filled with the thoughts of those around him. He had been warned of this but he honestly wasn't prepared for the ring to be so violent. Having never worn a ring of his own however he had learned well to conquer the rings will, it took a few minutes and obviously the aura it gave him had made those around him jump as several of the knights had stepped back and more had stepped forward almost drawing their blades.

After a moment or two the aura died down and his father and mother smiled in pride, "It seems you were strong enough after all…"

Desmond looked at the ring and nodded not really focusing so much, "Yeah, but it feels weird."

"Well of course it does, after all that ring hold more power than any other we've ever crafted, it must to reopen the gate." His father said, the ceremony over he was much more relaxed now though he still looked more military than Desmond would have liked.

But the knights had left and the generals had moved on, the Advisors were off talking amongst themselves and the Rulers were at last alone as a family. But Desmond still couldn't look at his father very long without feeling angry about where they stood. But that wasn't a problem as soon he found himself standing at the mouth of the cave, looking back at his mother and father. The gate responded to his aura and a great light welled up behind him as he looked back at the two of them. For just a moment he imagined how he had seen them for years, but as he looked at his Father's uniform he was reminded of the path that they had taken.

He couldn't say goodbye though, and so he just looked at his mother and waved before he turned and stepped into the bright glow of the Gate. A white expanse rose up before him and he just kept walking, thinking only of his destination. But as he walked he saw something in the distance. Walking on and on he felt like he never got any closer but after what could have been hours or could have been days but he never got any closer. Yet at long last the figure became clear. A young girl was on the ground, crying in the street. Who was she? Where had she come from? Why was she in the Gate?

It took several minutes but he finally reached her side to stand over her. He held an umbrella over himself, where had he gotten that? She was crying hard into the white ground, no it wasn't white, it was stone, or rather asphalt.

He looked at her with a kind pair of eyes and spoke at last, "Excuse me, but why are you crying?" he asked thinking of how beautiful her light blonde hair was. She turned her eyes up to his at last, her clothes soaked and her face red from sobbing but there was something amazing about those eyes of hers. Those lovely green eyes…

Chapter Two, End

Chapter Three: Broken

"Bring them back you bastard!" Kalen was screaming at the top of her lungs at Desmond with tears streaming down her face that even the torrent of rain couldn't hide. She was barely standing as she pounded her small fists against his chest where she had fallen after he had explained what had happened. She didn't understand though, "If- if you're so powerful t-then you bring them back right now!" she yelled at him with a voice that was between sobbing and shouting.

"I'm sorry…" he said with sincerity she hadn't heard in years. She thought of her parents and how they had been fighting forever, but now they wouldn't fight they wouldn't do anything. They just weren't there now. That emotion hit her like a fist and she curled up against Desmond, sobbing against his chest. After a few minutes of this his arms rose from his side as though they would envelope her like they usually did when she would cry. "I'm sorry…"

"Stop it!" she yelled smacking his arms away as she pushed him away from her, "To hell with your apology! To hell with you! You…." she couldn't help it, why had she been crying on his shoulder again? "You…" He was at fault. He was the cause of this all. He wasn't even human! "Y-You monster!"

Desmond stopped dead in his tracks. His usually stone persona cracking and his always squared shoulders slumped. He just stood there in the rain. Why the hell was he just standing there? "You're the one who did this!" she shouted over the pounding rain. Her whole body was frozen but she felt her throat strain with her shouts, "You're not even human!" Desmond was still. "You're a monster! Give my family back to me!" still he just stood there, "Goddamn it say something you bastard!"

He still didn't speak, even as the rain finally began to fade. He just stood there, unable to look at her. And there they stood, cold and wet and miles from each other though only yards apart, it could have been minutes or hours or even days that they just stood there, her staring at him, him staring at the ground, not a breath of a word spoken.

A man who had stood at the foot of the hill in a long suit and overcoat just stood there as this went on unable to move himself. He was the only person left from when the town had vanished, just looking solemnly at the boy. Finally he climbed the hill to the girl and placed a gentle hand on her shoulder. Kalen looked at him strangely, remembering seeing him somewhere before she pushed his arm away too and stepped away from him. Why was he there if Desmond had said everyone was gone? "He can't…" the man finally spoke with regret in his voice.

With that every last ounce of hope and prayer she had for reversing what he had done, but that wasn't fair, what she had done evaporated into the damp air. There was no more anger left on her face this time as she fell to her knees and began to cry again, in a way she hadn't cried in a long time. She was crying alone.

Chapter 3, To Be Continued…

Chapter 3, Continued…

It was a few weeks before Kalen would come out of her new room for anything other than food or to get a drink or something. Finally she had come downstairs in the lofty house after such a long seclusion. Desmond, however, hadn't come out of his room at all, for any reason. But she really didn't take notice until she walked past his door. The lights were off, was he not there? "Who cares…?" she finally told herself before heading down the stairs to the main floor. Sitting in the living room where he always sat was Mr. Hsu reading the paper.

The man was supposed to be Desmond's guardian or something like that but so far it seemed he was more like an observer or something. But so far he had been very nice to her; he welcomed her into their home with open arms and even bought her a new wardrobe. After a moment or two he noticed her presence and smiled at her warmly, "Oh, good morning Ms. Hols, did you need something?"

She shook her head at first but after remembering why she had come down jumped slightly, "Uh, actually I was wondering if I might be able to help you with anything Mr. Hsu." She said with a slight look of embarrassment. Hsu looked at her quizzically and after a moment she continued, "It's just, I mean… I've been here a week and haven't helped you at all, maybe I can help clean up or something or help cook, I just don't want to be a burden since you've been so nice to me recently." She said as she shuffled from foot to foot.

"Ah…" he said as he put down the paper and stood, "Please, don't worry about it Ms. Hols, the cleaning staff takes care of the chores and I enjoy cooking," she nodded and looked slightly downtrodden so he spoke up again, emboldened by her new found openness. "I thank you for your offer but Master Ruler is probably the one who needs help right now not me."

At that her demeanor changed, "I-I don't think that's a good idea." She said very flatly, making Hsu sigh as he moved closer. But she continued where she normally would have stopped as they had had the conversation before. "After all…" Hsu tilted his head in inquiry as he listened intently to her, "He's the one who cause my parents… my whole town to-"

"Now that's not exactly fair is it?" Hsu asked without being definite. Kalen was taken aback, she had thought about the fact that it was she who had put on the ring but still, if he had never come around at all.

"Well, I-I know it wasn't his intent bu-but still!"

"No that isn't what I meant Ms. Hols…" Hsu looked up the stairs at Desmond's door at the end of the landing, the lights were still off, "I mean, have you bothered to look at it from his point of view yet?"

"Well…I uh…"

Hsu smiled, "I'm not saying that you should go apologize, to him or anything I'm just saying that maybe you should try walking in his shoes to understand-"

"But if he had told me, warned me about what would happen I wouldn't have- I wouldn't have- I just-!"

Hsu nodded as Kalen leaned against the counter and put her head in her hands. He spoke up at last after clearing his throat, "Master Ruler wasn't sent to this world to ply around or learn about Earth. His mission was actually to unlock the Gate from this side so that those of our people trapped here could return home easily. I believe I told you about the Gate already correct?"

She nodded, listening to the story as she wiped her eyes, "Yes, you told me about how you guys are Hirules right? You're from another world called Hydra and use a portal called the Gate to get to other worlds."

"Yes, that's correct, but you see those of us who come to Earth are trapped here for a full lifetime, we either have to live out our time here like everyone else or die in some other way before our bodies can return to Hydra and our loved ones. Obviously this causes a lot of pain and suffering for our people, so the Royal family sent one of their own to this side of the Gate with the power to fix the problem even knowing it could be decades before they ever saw them again."

Hsu had made some tea while he spoke and handed Kalen a cup, "So Desmond's a prince or something?"

"Yes, he's the third prince of the Ruler family, one of thirteen noble houses on Hydra; the Rulers have held the crown for almost thirteen generations now, ever since the gate on Earth was first built. It was actually Master Ruler's ancestor who was the first Hirule to set foot on this plane." He said as he took a sip and smiled. He had an appreciation for tea that rivaled a wine taster.

Kalen just listened, trying not to be rude or insensitive but all that ran through her mind was _oh, so his family has been screwing with people's lives for thirteen generations eh?_ she was furious about this whole turn of events and still didn't understand what the heck had happened. All she knew was her family was gone, the town was empty, and nobody knew what was going on. She also hadn't seen anything on the news, how could no one notice a whole town just up and vanishing?

"You see," Hsu continued grabbing her attention again, "Because of that history the weight of saving those Hirules who are on Earth thus fell to Master Ruler… but even after he was raised and trained to solve the issue he's now found himself powerless."

"Powerless? He just made an entire town vanish! I wouldn't call that powerless!" Kalen said angrily without realizing her tone had fallen.

Hsu just continued on disregarding her attitude however, "Yes, but you see that wasn't his power to begin with." Kalen's ears perked up at that comment, she didn't quite understand, how could that not have been his power, it was his ring after all!

"You see, Master Ruler was given a large supply of extra energy when he was sent here to reopen the gate, without that power it would be impossible to bypass the system built to keep the gate open and breach the seal even for a moment, but with that power he could open the gate long enough for the Gate to stabilize and reopen allowing us to go home."

"I'm still not following Mr. Hsu." Kalen admitted.

Hsu sighed and looked at her apologetically, "You see, the power that transported your family and town away wasn't Master Ruler's to begin with, it was the power he was entrusted with in hopes of repairing the Gate," eye's wide Kalen finally understood what Hsu had been telling her, "And now that hope is gone…"

Kalen finally began to understand. However even as she understood this she still couldn't forgive him for what had happened. He had failed in his mission but she had lost her family. To be blunt she'd lost a lot more. Yet still her heart was less solid towards him now, for some reason she flashed back to when they first met, those gentle blue eyes. She still couldn't stand to look him in those eyes right now but the memory of them calmed her slightly.

Kalen shook her head hard and blushed, what the hell was wrong with her?

Hsu smiled to himself before leaving her to her thoughts. He had to get some things taken care of in town and so he headed out, he also informed Kalen that he had left out some school pamphlets for her to choose from in the lounge. "Young ladies should be in school after all." He quoted as he left the house and drove away.

Given a few minutes of thought Kalen finally decided that she should go upstairs and rest, maybe take a nap, she'd read through the pamphlets and would have to think hard on which school to go too, also she had to consider the cost of the school too. Mister Hsu seemed very well off but the whole situation had her feeling exceedingly uncomfortable.

Her head felt heavy so she finally turned and headed up the stairwell to go lie down. Yet she never made it past the second floor landing. She just stood there transfixed like a moth to the flame. Her hand subconsciously twitched up as her mind raced. Hsu's words rang in her mind ling a gong,_ "that's not exactly fair is it…?"_

_**But it was **__**His**__** ring that did this!**_ she yelled at herself in her mind. There was no reason for him to be depressed over this, she had every reason but he had none!

"_His duty was to his people… he's failed that now though_…" That was his problem not hers!

Kalen's hand twitched and she grabbed it to pull it back to her chest from the door as she shuffled her feet. _ "Maybe you should try walking in his shoes…"_

Yeah right, that was a line her parents had fed her time and time again about stupid stuff, but still there was no way she felt as bad as she did now. Admittedly she felt better now than she had when she had first awoken to find her town gone. At first she thought everyone was dead and not just transported but the truth was little better; knowing she wouldn't be able to see her family and friends again for such a long time was terrible. How could he feel anywhere near as crushed as she did? _**"What the hell has he lost in all of this?"**_ her hand moved slowly back down to her side before rising one final time as Hsu's voice echoed in her mind again.

"_It was the power he was entrusted with in hope to repair the Gate…" _her hand formed a loose fist with her knuckles turned up, _"…but that Hope is gone…"_ before she could think twice about it her knuckles rapped across the door.


	2. Chapter 4&5

**Welcome to the next two chapters in the story of Desmond and Kalen's Youth together. These two characters are some I created to play in the Carnes High: Monster School RP on the site Role Play Gateway. Please note that all rights to these characters and events are reserved by either myself or those who have created them. Don't go stealing them!**

Chapter Four: Depression

Desmond's mind was blank, an occurrence that he had only felt twice before, once when his sister had died and again when he realized how militaristic his father was becoming, he couldn't stand it. His normally racing thoughts were at a stand-still, his bright blue eyes dulled and near lifeless as they stared back at him from the reflection in the window. He hadn't moved much since Kalen had arrived with him after that night. In fact to his memory he hadn't left his desk that whole time.

The bed was untouched and the room was spotless save for that desk, papers were wadded and balled and spread like a storm had hit that corner at the window. Each one was strewn with intricate circles of magic runes and alchemic symbols. Several massive and ancient tomes lay open here and there on the large L shaped desk. He had arrived home the evening of the event sopping wet and depressed over his miserably failure at his assigned duty and instantly rushed to his room to research how best to repair the damage. Yet he knew all too well there was no way for him to gather the power back after it had been dispersed in the atmosphere, he knew that but he still fought with himself feverishly to find another avenue of restoring the situation.

It was in vain, and after only a few moments of study he found himself giving up on recovering the energy from the atmosphere and instead researching means to try and pull Kalen's family back. He had some time, it would take them a few days to move through the Gate to Hydra, which is how he had saved Kalen, but he had been right here and was able to place a seal on her to keep her tethered to Earth… but why had he done that? Wouldn't it have been best to just retrieve the ring and let her go with her family?

"Damn it!" he shouted as his fist slammed into the drywall next to him. His fist went through with little resistance however he caught something within and he felt the warmth of his blood flow out on the side of his hand. But that too he ignored as he swiped a large number of failed seals form his desk and sat back in his chair, staring out the large window before him into the darkness.

That scene was what he had been greeted with for the past few days, the rain constant and the sky ever grey. That was the effect of his power being released like that, the Earth itself was rejecting the invasion of his rings remaining as aura as the atmosphere poured down rain in an attempt to wash the intrusion away. The despair beyond was nothing to the despair he felt in his heart despite the sadness the scene conveyed.

His hand was caked in dry blood, his face white and his eyes dulled as if his very soul was absent. His eyes were only half open and his breathing was scattered at best. Food and water were needed by all life to exist yet he could forgo that for a few more days. But all these thoughts were several days old now as his mind had shut down like a corpse if this was death he didn't think he'd mind or primarily he didn't think he'd have the capacity to care. However despite the deafening silence he felt in his head and the constant nonsensical buzz in his ears with his dull eyes glazed and shrouded he still had the will to continue living. Despite this depressed state where his brilliance was overshadowed by failure something still kept him from falling over the edge. Though he'd hit rock bottom he could still fall another 6 feet yet something stayed his momentum . what was it.

_Tap tap tap_

The door reverberated as a light hand struck the other side, pulling the Hirule from his dazed state, though not enough to bring about a reply from him.

_Tap tap tap_

Time passed and footsteps could be heard rushing down the hall, light moved from beneath the door as the figure paced back and forth before the tapping came again.

"Desmond?" the voice was muffled and estranged, but somehow familiar to him.

_Kalen?_ His mind slowly began to turn again, the light from the window reflected slightly in his eyes as the damp grey that clung to his iris washed away with a reminder of that girl. He had taken everything from her and he couldn't return it. The newly revived eyes, though their color restored, still cast at the floor and barely open as he glanced toward the door. His voice wouldn't come or rather he didn't attempt to use it and instead he just stared at the door.

"Desmond, are you awake?" her voice was muffled through the door as she shuffled back and forth.

He still didn't have the ability to speak, what could he say, _"Hi?" _what the hell good would that do? The only thing he could say to her was sorry, _I don't even have the right to say _that _to her._ After all he'd done she was still trying to contact him. He just couldn't comprehend it.

"I-I'm coming in!" she said at last before she opened the door. Finally she saw the room that had been hidden since she had come to the house. She'd never seen Desmond's room before, somehow she imagined it slightly different, like dirty or something. But the room was spotless. The large desk in the corner was cast in a strange lighting the dark room as the reddish glow from the outside beamed in from the setting sun beyond. "D-Desmond?"

She could barely make him out, probably for the best since he was so disheveled. However she didn't notice the papers strewn hither and yond and the hole in the wall next to him. She took a step forward to try and get a better view of the situation, "What happened to the wall?" the light had shown several streaks of red spilling for the hole in the wall and the broken and jagged stud that lined the edge of the hole. Desmond's chair was turned from her but his right hand was resting gently on the arm rest in the light. She took one more step, "What? Did you…?"

Her eyes fell to the wound on his arm and she stopped dead. "Desmond, your hand!" Moving closer again her thoughts were stuck on his injury, however he turned away from her as she closed. "What's wrong with you?" he didn't respond, "Desmond-?"

"Kalen…" she stood transfixed, as he turned enough for her to see his face, but he wouldn't look her straight in the eye no matter how far she craned her neck. At last she caught a glimpse of those eyes she had taken such comfort in before only to find that they were grey and dull as they had been before she had come in, "I tried to find a way but… I was too weak…"

"Too… weak?" What the hell are you talking about?" her nails dug into her palms as she felt a fire burning in the pit of her stomach.

"I…I'm sorry…"

That was it, he was sorry? "What?" she felt a fury rise that she couldn't place as memories of that night swam through her head, "Sorry? Is that supposed to help? Damn it Desmond, here I am worrying about you and all you can say is sorry?" he couldn't look her in the eye, his face was so sunken and dark that he looked like an old man instead of a teenage boy, "What the hell good does sorry do me!" Desmond's face showed the visible wound that put on him, "You know what; you really make it easy to despise you, Idiot"

She was gone and the door slammed before her words registered in his mind. Then again it wasn't like he was surprised, he had anticipated it, however he still couldn't ignore the sting. Why was he so troubled by this all? He should be more worried about his people but for some reason what he had done to Kalen bothered him far more. He slumped back in his chair and stared out the window once more, yet this time his brain wasn't entirely stopped, instead one thought hung like a beacon in his head. The color green, the color of her eyes, the first pair of human eyes he'd seen.

Chapter 4, End

Chapter 5: Uninvited Guest

Kalen was leaned up against his door after she had stormed out; she'd slammed it behind her and now found herself leaning against it with tears stinging her eyes. But it wasn't sadness that stung her so, it was something else. "Idiot…" she turned to rush down the hall to the rom she had been given. She shut her door before sliding down to the floor and clutching her knees close to her. This was so wrong, why did she feel so calm around him? She should be angry with him, she should hate him. _I do hate him… don't I? _She should want him to pay for taking her family from her; _it's all his fault…isn't it? _He was the sole cause of all this sadness she felt, _I am sad…aren't I?_

It took her a few minutes of lying down clutching her pillow close and crying lightly to decide she was never going to be able to figure out what the hell her raging hormones and emotions were doing to her. She sat up and wiped her face, doing her best to forget about the boy down the hall, she had other things to worry about. She had her priorities after all. First thing was first. Heading down the stairs again, and speeding past Desmond's room, she headed for the den where the pamphlets she'd flipped through lay on the table right where she'd left them. She'd also check to see what the local public schools were like, after all she'd been enough ha burden on Mr. Hsu especially in the past few days. She'd looked for somewhere else to stay despite his instance that it was no trouble for him; still she'd been unable to find any relatives. The truth was that all of her immediate family had lived in the same town that the ring had transferred. Following that discovery she did manage to track down a few other relatives but she'd always heard bad things about them, so she'd avoided leaving since she didn't know what to expect.

Still she had decided that she had imposed upon them long enough hand had resolved to give the family members a call the next morning. Of course first she'd have to talk with Mr. Hsu about it and let him know how much she appreciated his help. Given a few minutes to think about how she might do that she decided that maybe she could put some of her skills to good use. Heading into the kitchen she found an apron and opened the refrigerator to see what she could cook for him.

After scouring the fridge she found what she could work with and set to work taking out the vegetables and looking for the utilities she'd need. Of course unfortunately for her she had no idea how to navigate the kitchen and unfortunately for her Mr. Hsu hadn't been kidding about cooking being his passion, the whole house was well kept but the kitchen was beyond amazing. To be honest she'd only seen kitchens like this on television or in magazines, sighing she began searching around and looking for any manuals or equipment she could use. Finally she managed to get together some pans and the like but while she had intended to make rice in the rice maker she couldn't' figure out how to make the darn thing work. So instead she set to slicing the vegetables and put the carrots, onions, celery, and a few other vegies into a pan with some oil and began roasting them. "Let's see, what next?"

Kalen was finally able to calm down and forget her troubles as she cooked; it was relaxing to her since it was something she enjoyed. The only other thing that calmed her this much was tea, and even after such a short time of staying with Mr. Hsu she had learned a lot more about teas than she had ever thought possible. Even having had her world shattered and all the fairytales of her youth make true faded as she concentrated on her task at hand. This was not a good thing as now, when the safety of her world was gone; when her guard should be held fast she let it down.

Calmed and collected for the first time in the past week she thought back to the happening on the mountain, remembering holding the ring next to her finger and laughing with Desmond on the hill like they always had. Two whole years, it seemed like a blink of an eye in hindsight but to a young girl like Kalen it was a whole 6th of her life that she had known that boy. And now he was near a corpse in the room above her in remorse for causing her such pain. Yet the more she thought back to that day as she stirred the pan the more she visualized him sleeping soundly on the picnic blanket next to her. She felt unease close in again but couldn't place why.

Her usual anger at Desmond was absent this time and her unease felt closer than it had, like a revelation was creeping up on her. Of course she knew what that revelation was all along; she'd been unfair to Desmond here like Hsu had said. Her thoughts wandered and so did her aim as she sliced the tomatoes to add to the pan.. The red orbs were joined on the cutting board by another glint of red as she sliced a small cutting the side of her finger. Looking down at it a the blood flowed Kalen had to remark at how sharp the knife had to have been, she hadn't even realized she'd cut herself until moment ago.

But she realized it now as she cursed and brought the wound to her lips where she gently nursed the cut as she moved over to the sink, the tomato juice stunk and burnt slightly so turning the tap over with her free hand she began to rinse the injury in the cool water. But the flowing in the pipes was louder than you might expect and drowned out the sound of the slight pop as the front door window was broken ever so slightly and a long sickly pale hand snaked through the hole to grasp the door hand and open the barrier softly without a sound.

It's not always clear why some creatures do what they do, for example a Vampire is notable for craving human blood but being sickened by that of other races even those that appear human such as magic users or were creatures however there is always an exception to every rule, and in this case it's a Hirule.

Now ask any noble Vampire and you'll be told that they are disgusted by the smell and taste of a Hirule's blood however it could be comparable to cigarettes, while the first few drinks are unpleasant the after effect can be rather addicting. The powerful aura that Hirules emit soaks their blood and body in energy and it is that blast of power that vampires of weaker blood seek. To be fair even you average turned Vampire will not blatantly go for the neck of a Hirule simply to feed, however there are those that hear of the power the blood of a Hirule can hold and thus they hunt to taste this power. But that was a rare event and no Vampire in their right mind would try to track down a potent Hirule simply to gain a small boost in energy. The walker of the night currently stalking around the outer suburbs of the recently deserted town was particularly addicted.

He had been tracking down his next fix for some time now yet he had never found the young Hirule to have his guard down despite all the time he had spent stalking the teenager in the town the months before. However recently something had gone very wrong and the humans the shadowed creature had been sustaining himself upon were no longer around to sate his growing thirst. Now a Hirules signature in the monster world is their potent and unnatural auras that stand out against the quieted background like a spire of light to witches or mages who are able to see the swirling energies, however they are significantly harder to track for a being like a Vampire who is unable to see such energies under normal circumstances. However a Vampire's nose is like a bloodhound, pun intended, and the smell of a Hirule's aura is like a beacon for a fly drawing those who are inclined to find them.

This Vampire was so inclined. He'd been following the scent of the Hirules for some time now through the derelict town however had lost the trail in the rain. The fact that the aura he had been following had been expanded to engulf the entire area wasn't helping matters either. Still he had found the trail again and now came approaching the first home to still be lit since before whatever the Hirule did had happened. Gliding like a ghoul in the darkened night since the sun had set the creatures skin hugged it's brittle looking frame like a snake as it grasp at the door and attempted to turn the nob, locked.

Slightly annoyed the creature almost looked for another entrance until a sweet and metallic scent hit its nose, the Hirule had bled, how or why was irrelevant, all he knew was that the blood lust was in full swing now and he would do whatever it took to soothe the burning in his throat with the nectar of life from the being within. His boney elbow moved up and cracked the window as he slammed against it. Waiting a moment to ensure his cover remained the creature broke the window and stepped within, sickly yellow teeth flashed and estranged red eyes searched the foyer for his target. In a room above a youth that had not stirred in a week twitched as his ears sharpened. Color return to his face and eyes as Desmond stood and glanced about. Spotting the ring resting on the table he hesitated, waiting to hear another sound.


End file.
